Earth-boring machine.



J. F. SAUERMAN.

EARTH BORING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8.1917.

1,241,665. Patented Oct. 2,1917.

53' LFM IV flg g e TH. lf'iil) Z1 i 5 IE1 J 3% @K1CPM JOHN F. SAUERMAN,01? LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF FORTYv-EIGHT ONE- HUNDREDTI-IS TOBEN D. SCHAAD, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

EARTH-BORING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 191 '7.

Application filed. June 8, 1917. Serial No. 173,454.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. SAUERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Little Rock, in the county of Pulaski and State of Arkansas,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Earth-Boring Machines, ofwhich the following is a specifioation.

This invention relates to earth boring machines especially designed fordigging post holes, and has for its object to provide an improved lightportable machine of this kind in which the boring tool may be ro tatedby motor and moved axially by hand, whereby the feeding of said tooldown into the earth may be easily regulated according to the hardness ofthe strata through which it is passing, and the danger of choking orinjuring the tool is avoided.

Another object is to provide for taking up slack in the hand operatedmeans for moving the tool axially, and a further object is toautomatically lock said means against reverse movement while the tool isbeing fed into the ground.

The invention will be first hereinafter described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which constitute part of this specification, andthen more specifically defined in the claims at the end of the description.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters areused to designate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a broken front elevation of a boring machine constructedsubstantially in accordance with this invention, the sprocket chain formoving the tool axially being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a broken side elevation of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line IIL-III of Fig. 1, showing the squaredtool feeding rod engaging a similarly shaped passage through thehorizontal gear.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1, drawn to a largerscale, and Fig. 5 is a detailed rear face view of the cross head andguide track therefor, also drawn to a larger scale.

The boring mechanism is mounted on a pair of parallel beams 1 supportedon axles 2 carrying wheels 3, and constituting a light portable truck onwhich said mechanism may be readily moved about. At one end of the trucka transverse frame 4 is fastened to the beams 1 and providcdwith avertical journal bearing in which is fitted the hub 5 of a horizontalbevel gear 6. Said hub projects below the journal bearing and is fittedwith a collar 7 secured by a bolt 8 for retaining the hub and gear inproper position.

The frame 4 is further provided with a horizontal journal bearing for ashaft 10 carrying a bevel pinion 9 and pulley 11. The pinion 9 mesheswith the gear 6, and the pulley 11 is connected by a belt 12 with anysuitable motor conventionally indicated at 13, Fig. 2. The gear 6 andhub 5 have an angular, preferably square, passage extending centrallyand vertically therethrough, and in this passage is fitted to slide arod 14 angular or square in cross section and having a socket 15 at itslower end in which a boring tool 17 may be detachably fastened by aclamping bolt 16. From the foregoing it will be seen that the boringtool 17 rod 14 and gear 6 may be rotated by the motor 13 through thebelt 12, pulley 11, shaft 10 and pinion 9.

The upper end of the rod 14 is rounded, as at 18, and said roundedportion is fitted to turn in a cross-head consisting of a metal centralportion 19 and wooden endportions 20, best shown in Fig. 4. The Woodenend portions of the cross-head are adapted to slide in vertical parallelangular guide rails 21 which may be made of a single piece of channeliron bent at the middle and having its ends suitably fastened to the topof the frame 4, as illustrated in Fig. 1. Collars 22 and 23,respectively, are placed on the round portion 18 of the rod 14 below andabove the cross-head, and they and the crosshead are held in position bya lock nut 24 on the upper extremity of the rod.

To manually move the rod 14 axially in its bearing in the gear 6 and hub5, a shaft 25 is journalcd horizontally in bearings 26 on the frame 4and provided with a hand crank 27 at one end and a sprocket wheel 28 atan intermediate point in line with the rod 14. A sprocket chain 29, Fig.2 is passed around said sprocket wheel 28 and has one end fastened tothe cross-head 19 by a bolt 30. The other end of the sprocket chain ispassed over a sheave 31, mounted between the upper ends of the guiderails 21 above the cross-head, and attached to a hook 33 on The shaft 25alsocarries a ratchet wheel- 88 which may be engaged by a gravity pawl37 pivoted between ears or lugs 36 on the frame 4 for retaining the rod14 and tool '1 7' inelevated' position and preventing the feedingthereof into the ground== Then it is desired to feed said rod and toolclownwardly, as during the boringoperation, the pawl37 maybe swung backaway from the ratchet wheel, as willbe readily understood. Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desireto' secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is: y

1. In an earth boring machine, the combination with a rotatable andaxially movable boring tool,of means for rotating said tool, across-headoperatively connected to said tool, guide rails'for thecross-head, means for moving the tool. axially including a sprocket wheeland chain, and a sheave supported by said guide rails above the crosshead, said chain being fastened at its ends to the cross-head and havingone end portion passed over said sheave. 1 2.111 an earthboring machine,the coinbination with a rotatable and axially mov able, boring tool, ofmeans for rotating said tool, a cross-headoperati'vely connected to thetool, guide rails for the cross-head, a

sheave supported by said guide rails above the vcross-ll'ead, arotatable sproclret' wheel, a sprocket chain engaging said sprocketwheel and passed over said sheave, the ends of saidchain being fastenedto said cross-head,

and plate" adjustable on the cross-head,

and connected to one end of the sprocket chain, whereby slack may betaken up in said chain.

above the cross-head, a rotatable sprocket wheel, a sprocket chainengaging said wheel and passed oversaid shca-ve,:the ends of said chainbeing fastened to said cross.- head', a plate adjustable on thecross-head,

passage therethrough, a rod angular in cross secti'on fitted insaidpassage in the gear, means for rotating. theagear, a cross head;operatlvely connected to the tool,

.meansffor guiding the cross-head, a sheave supported by said guidingmeans above the cross head, a shaft alsojournaled in the frame v meansfor rotating, said shaft, a sprocket wheel on said shaft, a sprocketchain engag1ng sa d sprocket. wheel and passed over said sheave, theends of said' chain beingconnected to the rod for moving the sameaxially, aratchet wheel'also mounted "on saidshaft, and a pivoted pawlnormally held by gravity in engagement with,

said ratchet wheel for the purpose specified.

JOHN F." SAUERMAN.

, and a hook on said plate adapted to -engage V states of u'fistmhfi maybe obtained for fi've cents earn, 5/ add'r'ssizig' the Commissioner attime,

